Greatest Hits is a greatest hits compilation album of Run–D.M.C.'s material. While it was argued that hits such as "The Ave.", "Pause" and "Ooh, What'cha Gonna Do?" should have found a place in this release, Run speculated during a Marie Claire interview in 2003 that the album was simply showcasing the group's better known earlier work:

"I want kids to pick up this album and go '..So that's what hip hop sounded like in 1984, cool'. It's not because I dislike any of those [later] records."

After Jam Master Jay's death, the group retired - however for not meeting their contractual obligations with Arista Records, this left Run–D.M.C.'s entire catalog open for exploitation. Since the release of this 'Greatest Hits' record, Arista Records has released several other 'Greatest Hits' albums of Run–D.M.C.'s material.

Fans consider this release as the 'official' Greatest Hits collection, because it was the last official Run–D.M.C. release before the death of Jam Master Jay.